Bhubaneswar: Even as Odisha has been encountering potato crisis for the last several days amid rising prices, West Bengal has reportedly installed CCTV cameras along its border to check the movement of trucks carrying consignments of the tuber through alternate routes.
Following restriction clamped by the West Bengal government on movement of potatoes to Odisha, people in the state have been severely hit by skyrocketing prices. As per information, the West Bengal police have now started installing CCTV cameras at certain locations along the borders with Odisha to restrict the movement of the trucking carrying potatoes.
Sources said that the Bengal police have installed CCTV cameras at Nilada village on the border and trucks are also being prevented from entering Odisha at Laxmannath toll gate.
Following which, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Sunday spoke to his Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee, urging her to normalise potato supply to Odisha.
According to the CMO, Majhi mentioned that the supply was streamlined following their meeting in Delhi. However, Odisha has been encountering potato crisis again for the last few days, leading to price rise, he said while drawing her attention to the problem and seeking her intervention again. Mamata has assured him of appropriate steps to resolve the issue, it added.
Odisha has been facing an acute potato crisis after neighbouring West Bengal stopped transportation of the tuber and traders from the state refused to purchase it from Uttar Pradesh, stating that people don’t like the variety available in the northern state.
To tide over the crisis, the government has started selling potatoes at Rs 100 for 3 kg in retail shops across the state under the public distribution system (PDS). “Potatoes have been sent to different places in the state through NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd). The traders have also started releasing potatoes to the market. I am hopeful that they will also start selling the tuber at a reasonable price,” Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister K C Patra told reporters.
He added that potatoes will be directly brought from Uttar Pradesh. “I have already spoken to the Railways Minister in this regard. Now, Odisha can get sufficient potato for its consumption…,” he said.
On Saturday, the Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare department started the process to provide 10 packets of potatoes to each dealer with the instruction that they would provide 3 kg potatoes to families of all ration card holders at Rs 100 till the market rates stabilise.
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